Friday, June 1, 2012

MS Patient John Wilson Released to ISP

New Jersey multiple sclerosis (MS)
patient John Ray Wilson was released from a New Jersey Department of Corrections
minimum security facility yesterday to the Intensive Supervision
Program (ISP). Wilson served over four
months of his 5-year prison sentence at the DOC. Wilson
will spend approximately 16 months in the ISP, if he is successful in the program. According to the manager of the program, ISP officers devote approximately 80% or their time to direct field supervision, involving themselves in almost every aspect of the participants’ lives. Wilson was careful to explain
that a provision of his release is that he not speak publicly about medical
marijuana during his time under the ISP.
He is not available for media interviews at this time.

Wilson was arrested on August 18, 2008 and was
charged with “manufacturing” 17 marijuana plants that he used to treat his
MS. Wilson faced 20 years in state
prison for this crime. At trial,
Superior Court Judge Robert Reed would not let the jury hear the reason that
Wilson grew the marijuana plants, essentially removing Wilson’s only
defense. Many members of the community
felt this was an injustice and protested outside the court house in Somerville. In December 2009 Wilson was acquitted of the most
serious charge, but he was convicted of a second degree charge of manufacturing
marijuana. He was sentenced to five
years in prison on March 19, 2010, but granted bail pending appeal.

On July 26, 2011, an Appellate Court affirmed the
conviction and sentencing. The state Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal
on January 20, 2012 and Wilson was taken into custody seven days later. State
legislators and many supporters called for a pardon for Wilson. However, Governor Christie refused to pardon
Wilson, and even called into question the legitimacy of his MS diagnosis. Prison medical staff meanwhile treated Wilson
promptly and appropriately for his MS.

MS is a qualifying condition for marijuana
therapy in New Jersey according to the two-year-old Compassionate Use Act, but
the state’s Medicinal Marijuana Program is not operational yet.

Ken and Jim at Redbank Fundraiser

About The Coalition

Coalition members hold diverse opinions, but we all agree:

Arresting patients is wrong, and it must stop now.

Modern clinical research, centuries of experience and the impassioned personal accounts of thousands of real patients concur: Marijuana can alleviate symptoms of certain serious medical conditions, and it can do so when other drugs fail to help.

Doctors should be free to recommend this medicine to promote health, and sick or injured New Jerseyans should be free to use it responsibly.

The safety margin for therapeutic marijuana is as wide as it can be ─there is no known lethal dose.

New Jersey healthcare professionals dispense potentially lethal drugs every day. We trust them to do so very carefully, and solely to benefit their patients. Common sense and compassion demand that doctors should control non-lethal marijuana medicine for those who truly need it. To make this important change a reality, your voice is needed.

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was introduced in the State Senate in January 2005 by Senator Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden). A companion bill is pending in the Assembly, sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton) and Assemblyman Michael Carroll (R-Morris Township).